1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the organized storage of pairs of shoes, and more particularly concerns a device for storing pairs of shoes in over and under relationship upon a horizontal support surface.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most people own multiple pairs of shoes which are generally stored in a closet. An orderly storage arrangement is desirable so that the shoes are maintained in matched pairs in a manner to occupy minimal space.
Shoe storage devices for use in clothing closets have earlier been disclosed for storing the shoes in either vertical or horizontal arrays. Vertical storage devices are usually comprised of a series of pockets or hook-like members supported by either the walls of the closet, the interior surface of the door of the closet, or hanger means releasably supported by a clothes hanging bar disposed horizontally at about shoulder height.
Devices for the storage of shoes in horizontal array are usually designed to rest upon the floor of the closet or upon a shelf located closely above the floor. From the standpoint of efficient utilization of closet space, horizontal shoe storage appears preferable, especially when it employs the otherwise unused floor of the closet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,017 discloses a shoe organizer for organizing shoes in stacked, over-and-under pairs along a horizontal shelf or one or more pairs vertically in string-like fashion. The shoe organizer comprises first and second shoe holders which can function as shoe trees, each having a heel piece and a toe piece, a cross bridge connected to the shoe holders, and first and second hook-retaining formed holes on opposite ends of the shoe organizer for attachment of a plurality of shoe organizers to each other in string-like fashion. Vertical stringing of a plurality of shoe organizers is accomplished by inserting one end of a double ended hook into a formed hole of one shoe organizer and inserting the second end of the double-sided hook into a formed hole of a second shoe organizer. The top-most hook end may be hooked over a closet hanger rod or the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,266,837 discloses a combined shoe tree and organizer comprising a two-shoe tree capable of holding and preserving a pair of shoes and an organizer therefor. The two-shoe tree comprises a mounting portion and two heel members, each heel member being connected to said mounting portion by an expandable stretcher bar and is designed to hold and preserve two (i.e. a pair of) shoes as a single unit. The two-shoe tree is provided with an aperture such that it can be integrated or combined with an organizer having a plurality of post members. In this manner, the shoe tree can be detachably secured to the organizer by mounting said aperture over one of the post members. The organizer may be in the form of a single rod which can retain a plurality of two-shoe trees or may be in the form of multiple rods in a grid frame arrangement to form a rack. The organizer can have either a horizontal orientation, for placement on a flat surface, or a vertical orientation for hanging from a door or mounting to a wall.
Said earlier devices, although adequately functional, are of complex, expensive construction. Furthermore, from the standpoint of marketing considerations, said devices occupy considerable space when being shipped to a customer or retail store, and require considerable space in store warehousing and display.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a device for horizontal deployment for storing pairs of shoes in an over and under configuration.
It is another object of this invention to provide a shoe storage device of the aforesaid nature of simple, durable construction amenable to low cost manufacture.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device as in the foregoing object which can be folded to a compact size for shipping or storage purposes.
These objects and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.